Oshoala Says Not under Pressure to Deliver as Falcons Land in France

Oshoala Says Not under Pressure to Deliver as Falcons Land in France

FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala has said that she is not under any pressure ahead of Nigeria’s 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup opener against Norway on Saturday, June 8 in France.

The former Arsenal and Liverpool striker did not make an impact that fans are used to seeing at the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON), scoring three goals, all coming in the 6-0 rout of Equatorial Guinea, and did not win an individual accolade at the end of the tournament in Ghana.

Oshoala impressed in the second half of last season at Barcelona and the Spanish side have turned the loan into a permanent deal after netting eight goals in 11 competitive matches.

”I am not under any pressure, I’m just going there to have fun, I’m not looking for a club or whatever. I am just going to the World Cup to have fun and help the team and give 100 percent, do the best I can,” said Oshoala.

”The goals were not just coming in the Nations Cup which is normal, sometimes you get a goal, sometimes you just help the team, so you don’t have to score all the time. Scoring in Barcelona, probably I am getting it right, sometimes it happens like this.”

She added : ”For me it’s one step at a time, we go by each game. First game against Norway, second game against Korea, third game against France and then we pick it up from there. After the group stage, we know what’s next.”

The Super Falcons departed the Avita Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Austria, where they were on a two-week residential camping on Thursday.

The delegation of the Super Falcons players and officials landed at the Aeroport Charles de Gaulle just before 5pm, three days to the kick-off of the tournament.

Although their best performance till date has been a quarter final appearance at the third edition of the competition in the United States of America 20 years ago, the Falcons are one of only seven teams to have appeared in every edition of the championship since it was launched in China in 1991.

The others are the senior women teams of Germany, Norway, Brazil, USA, Sweden and Japan.

In France, the nine-time African champions are up against host nation France, Norway and Korea Republic in Group A.

They open their campaign against Norway on Saturday in Reims, before other matches against Korea Republic in Grenoble (12th June) and France in Rennes (17th June).

Related Articles